There is a universal truth in the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, but stereotypes also exist for a reason. Both things usually don’t have room in my thoughts but when I can see both applied to the griffons in front of me I can’t help but chuckle at those phrases.
More young griffons approached us with their mothers, albeit reluctantly if their expressions is anything to go by. The youngsters thankfully didn't have the same enrooted distrust as their parents and they were mostly curious about ponies since they aren’t used to be visited by other creatures.
Lucky for us, Twilight recovered from her muscular issues so we didn’t have to be aware of any griffon stepping on her. She didn’t want the bananas, though. I wonder why?
“…and while we are princesses we like to talk to ponies as friends too. You would not stop talking to your friends if you were to work on an important job, right?” Luna explained to the group of chicks mesmerized with her flowy mane and overall mystical appearance. Not every day you can see a creature that has the night sky as its mane and tail after all!
…Well, I do now lately, but that’s not the point!
“I’m not a princess, dear. You all tend to forget that little detail,” I said while picking up one of the little furballs and nuzzling her, making her laugh, “I’m just along for the ride! Like having the best vacation guides since they are all locals!” I told them, confusion clearly shown on some of their little faces.
“It’s a Gaia thing, don’t worry too much about it,” Luna clarified to the moms nearby. Not sure if I should feel proud or offended by that…
“I’m not from Equestria, so I am too learning how they do things along with every creature I meet during this vacation. So far I’ve been delighted to know how unique each and every one of you can be, and how your daily life is so different from other sapients,” I told them, most of them at least understating what I was saying, even if the youngest were just a little lost with some of my words.
Ah, to be young and not worry about words and hidden meanings… or that’s what I’ve heard from some philosophers. My foalhood is nothing bright and innocent, not like what must be for the ponies here that’s for sure. That’s why I really don’t mind about twisted words and all those things as long as they don’t affect the survivability of the world. One must step up if a maniac is to set up the apocalypse or something like that, you know?
It’s not as exciting as you may think of. Those blasted movies and videogames just show it all out of proportion. Usually it’s less flashy and more shadowy with deals and stuff… and I’m rambling again.
“There are not many ponies that live outside the blanket of the princesses, but I suppose that if you size doesn’t intimidate any potential troublemakers your horn and wings will surely do the trick,” one of the mothers said, appraising me with a glint of curiosity showing behind those watchful eyes.
“It sure helps, dear. It’s just as strange to see some of you griffons outside your motherland but I bet there are some out there living with other races. In fact I find surprising to see many griffons living in what many would’ve called a ruin, but I’ve seen vendors selling their wares on the street like on any other lived-in settlement,” I told her, getting the attention of more adults in doing so. I suppose that sometimes they want to see what an outsider wants to say about them, I guess.
“Not many ponies ask questions about us, they just assume that we are what we are and there’s that,” one of the male griffons said with a tone of honest confusion.
“Sadly that’s the most common reaction for ponykind. If it’s not a problem within the herd then is not worth really noting. Maybe for some kind fellows but when you don’t usually move from your hometown it’s hard to notice the plights of other creatures surrounding our country,” Luna said while dropping her ears, clearly ashamed of the behavior of her ponies. I’m a bit sad to see her like this, but sometimes one needs to hear the hard truths to start to improve one self and others alike.
“You will find that we are not like most of ponies, and not only from being an uncommon species,” I told them with a motherly smile, “and now I’m here, wondering about what happened to this city? Clearly it was a prosperous settlement, but something must’ve happened in the past to drive all of you into poverty. Not even crops are growing around this place!”
Most of the adult griffons looked sadly at the ground, clearly reminiscing of something before one of them spoke up.
“It was, if the tales of our ancestors are anything to go by. We were a trade nexus for all the region and our legions safeguarded the trade routes with their might. Then the fabled Idol of Boreas was lost at the hands of a beastly thief and all came to an end,” one of the older hens narrated as she petted one of the younglings near her, “It was a period of strife and malice from which we never recovered from. Our culture was lost and all the riches were spent in vices and unsavory deals. In the end the glorious nation of our past fell to the claws of mercenaries and brigands, and in time they also left the now barren land.”
“But that doesn’t explain how it got so barren… this is a gradual process, and I know a thing of two regarding soil, believe me,” I told the hen, who chuckled at my words.
“Without anyone to protect them since the legions were paid by the government, who was daring enough to grow crops out of the safety of our nests? Even if the city is in ruins it is safer here than there… well, it used to be anyway. Now the soil is as dead as our king and nothing will grow from them. Even some of you ponies came and saw the lost cause that this land was and left after trying everything they could to revitalize it…” she whispered with sadness in her voice, getting a caring nuzzle out of the young griffon besides her.
“Everything you said?” I asked in a playful tone.
Being the head of the state is usually an arduous work at the best of times. That Luna knew better than anyone else. A thankless job usually and unseen by most of the populace, especially in her case. Still, situations like the one about to happen made her day stressfully and delightfully unpredictable.
“Gaia, think for a second what you are going to do, please,” the lunar princess pleaded to the bigger alicorn, getting a light tittering from her.
“Don’t be silly, I already thought about it! It will not be as grandiose as my work at the former desert, but I’m sure these griffons will appreciate the work all the same,” she told her while happily trotting outside the city, followed by some griffons and Luna.
“Are you sure you are not making a hasty decision with this? You told us that you were not one to actively change the course of nature,” Luna pressed on as she quickly trotted besides the green mare. Gaia just chuckled at the princess.
“I know, dear,” she told her with her motherly smile, “but I’m on vacation, so I’ll not think of work. This will be… like a hobby. You do have hobbies, right?” she asked, her eyes turning green as she looked around the dusty ground with barely any plants around, “Ah, the place seems to be on a healthy place after all. Not much work to do. It’s all there, really, just not away,” she murmured to herself, surprising the observing griffons, “with the proper push it will be a breeze.”
“It may be so, but it will also raise suspicion from the local populace. I would like to help them more than anything else but…”
“But what, young Luna? What is it to tell or do before taking action? I will not ask permission for something that is clearly within my capabilities to do! This is not changing laws on a foreign country or something like that, it’s just… gardening!” she happily stated while pronking in place “Oh wow. That some nasty wind over that ravine. That can be dangerous for sure…”
“…Gardening?”
“I’m just using bigger tools and a bigger pot, dear. That the griffons will benefit from it it’s just a plus!”
“What are you talking about, pony lady? You seem to talk about forcing the plants out of the soil, and we know no seeds live down there, or they would’ve been sold long ago!” one of the adult griffons told her as he approached with his chick on his back, “Every time one of the ponies tried their magical crap they almost worsened the situation! I still remember the last earth pony that tried to use his magic to make the plants grow, she provoked a landslide!”
“Please, don’t belittle my work comparing them with the job of your average pony, young griffon,” she stated, making the chick giggle at her words.
“I’m a father of two, I’m hardly younger you crazy green mare,” he replied while grumbling and showing clearly who was the most mature being between her daughter and him.
“You are all young to me, dear. But enough talk! Time for a bit of green work!” she yelled while jumping to the air… to just placidly lie on the ground, making herself snug as she put her legs at the bottom of her barrel. She started to ruffle her wings a bit, much to the overall confusing of everyone present.
“…Nothing happened,” one of the griffons lamely said.
“Gaia… what are you doing?” asked a confused princess Luna. Gaia just hummed to herself.
“I’m getting prepared. This requires some precision work and I want to affect only this side of the mountain range. While hardly a task worthy of effort I need to not step outside it. I don’t want to change the lands beyond our sight. Nothing good can come from bothering the neighbors, right?” the green alicorn calmly explained, some of the griffons approaching her as they started to feel something around the strange and kooky mare.
“Lady, I don’t know what you are doing but you are creeping the Tartarus out of us,” the father from before said as he looked down to the mare that was apparently doing something by not doing anything. Luna felt the build-up of energy too, quite alarmingly fast as the last time so she knew that she was going to do something worth to write in history books.
“Aw, don’t worry dear. While I cannot do anything about those material needs I’m frankly astonished by you quality of life, and not in a good way. Every creature should live with their basic needs satisfied, and I can’t let this suffering happen here any longer” she said with a tone that conveyed a worry that couldn’t be confused by anything else but pure care from the matron of nature, “I just want to give you something to remember me by, and maybe if you find in your heart to trust me after this… Heed my advice, and go and make a good life with wonderful friends by your side. Life is a wonderful adventure that can’t be truly enjoyed alone, shadowed by doubt and selfishness… but remember that after a long night there will be always a new day, so…”
The griffons found themselves entranced by the energies now surrounding them, invisible to the naked eye but felt in their spirits as they saw how many plants sprouted under and around Gaia, quickly growing and even weaving between her legs and up her barrel.
Luna was surprised and lost about the situation, since last time Gaia was performing a clear show of power to them, but now she felt as she was putting a different kind of show. ‘Is she playing with the expectations of the ones surrounding them?’
Suddenly, Gaia extended her hoof towards the daring father with his chick, a calm smile on her face as he analyzed what was happening in front of him.
“... Who dares to accept this strange gift from this strange mare? My only coins are trust and friendship, but I believe you will find this to be a fair deal,” she cleverly stated, calling to their base desires against their distrustful nature.
‘As I suspected, she is playing on their expectations. They don’t expect nothing if it’s not some kind of transaction’ Luna thought, looking with trepidation at was to come, as she would feel all the energy stored on Gaia’s wings.
Suddenly, the chick on the griffon’s back jumped over her father’s head with a quick fluttering of her tiny wings, and landed squarely on Gaia’s expecting hoof, making her smile widely, much to the now scared parent.
“Very well! Accepted this barter has been!” she said in a strange accent before quickly and strongly pressing her wings to her barrel, “And for the next trick, I’ll make this dust disappear!”
The wind picked up suddenly and strongly, blinding every creature from miles away, dust getting to their eyes as a wave of energy bathed the lands around Gaia and the wind itself kneeled to her might. Luna found herself affected by the dust as well, quickly trying to clean her stingy eyes. By the loud gasp of a young griffon, the chick on Gaia’s hoof was protected from this fate.
“Oops! I think I overdid it... Or maybe just did it exactly as intended? I feel like you were thinking this as the perfect place and made me do this, right little one?” Gaia said, getting a giggle out of the cute griffon on her hoof, “I hope they can forgive me, I was expecting something more tame, but... you like the new look? Of course you do! Come here, let me show some cool plants and critters!” Gaia told her young cohort as she carried nearby… no one sure knowing where since they were all still unable to see anything, but now the barren lands were much less quieter than before, of that they were sure.